Reel Art: Great Posters from the Golden Age of the Silver Screen (Tiny Folio) [Paperback]

Richard Allen (Author)

Book Description

Series: Tiny Folio | Publication Date: September 1, 1992

Posters from Hollywood's heyday are presented along with the vastly entertaining stories of their creation. 271 full-color illustrations.

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

Packed between the covers of this undersized volume are classic film posters drawn by the likes of Norman Rockwell, Thomas Hart Benton, and many unknown illustrators. Bambi, Gone with the Wind, The Phantom of the Opera, Casablanca, The Thin Man, and King Kong are just a few of the film titles readers will recognize from Hollywood's heyday. The exaggerated lettering, the dramatic rendering of the movie stars' faces, the bright colors, the sensational slogans, and the overall layout of the posters have all but disappeared from contemporary movie advertising. The wide selection of posters promises to please movie buffs and design fans alike.

From Library Journal

The value of old movie posters has soared, and the numerous stunning examples in this book show why. At their best, posters conveyed (and often surpassed) a film's promise of excitement to eager moviegoers. In their lively, intelligent survey of poster art from the early days to the end of the 1940s, the authors effectively demonstrate how the poster combined with other elements (promotional gimmicks, theater lobby design) to lure patrons to the box office. They go on to discuss different approaches to poster design, the working methods of the various artists, and the history of the early studios, also offering brief biographies of the major poster artists. Movie buffs will love this book for its glorious illustrations, and students of popular culture will also be intrigued. Stephen Rees, Bucks Cty. Free Lib., Levittown, Pa.
Copyright 1989 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

Product Details

• Paperback: 288 pages
• Publisher: Abbeville Press (September 1, 1992)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1558594035
• ISBN-13: 978-1558594036
• Product Dimensions: 4.5 x 4.1 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 9.6 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,097,246 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Stephen Rebello is the author of the non-fiction books Reel Art - Great Posters From the Golden Age of the Silver Screen (largely featuring the poster collection of Richard C. Allen), Bad Movies We Love (with Edward Margulies) and Alfred Hitchcock and the Making of 'Psycho.' He is also known for feature articles for such magazines as Playboy, Movieline, Hollywood Life, Statement, GQ, More and Cosmopolitan. In his widely quoted celebrity interviews, he has drawn out provocative revelations from Matt Damon, Colin Farrell, Nicole Kidman, Beyonce, Drew Barrymore, Charlie Sheen, Scarlett Johansson, Clive Owen, Jerry Bruckheimer, Eva Mendes, Benicio Del Toro, Sharon Stone, Gillian Anderson, Lee Iacocca, Pierce Brosnan and Tom Cruise, among others. Born in Massachusetts and a Los Angeles, California resident, he is currently a Playboy magazine Contributing Editor. His screenplays include one for a dramatic feature film inspired by Alfred Hitchcock and the Making of 'Psycho'; the motion picture is in the works for 2010 theatrical release.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars This undisputed classic actually surpasses its reputation., March 9, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Reel Art: Great Posters from the Golden Age of the Silver Screen (Hardcover)

This undisputed classic actually surpasses its reputation. The sumptuous, coffee table-style volume, over 340 pages, would be worth owning alone for its eye-popping reproduction of rare poster images that advertised such films as King Kong, It Happened One Night, Dracula, The Old Dark House, Snow White and the Seven Dwarves, Casablanca, Gilda, Gone With the Wind, It's a Wonderful Life, The Wizard of Oz and hundreds of others. Each chapter is beautifully organized into genres making the tome as compulsively entertaining as it is enlightening. Don't mistake this one for any of the other copycat poster books, though, which merely display page after page of images with no analysis or comment. What makes Reel Art a must-have, definitive book on the subject is its witty, hefty, impeccably informative text and extended captions which reveal so much about how the old-time Hollywood publicity and marketing machines worked to sell the moviegoing world not only on particular stars, directors, films, but also on the sexiness of things like cigarette smoking and the patriotic duty of going to war. Talk about "The Hidden Persuaders"! I especially appreciate the groundbreaking information Rebello and Allen reveal about the actual artists (some very famous, like Norman Rockwell, Al Hirschfeld and Miguel Covarrubias) and art directors who were responsible for the distinct visual style of posters from MGM, Paramount, Universal, Columbia, RKO and even the so-called "poverty row" studios. There's even a lengthy section of illustrators' biography, complete with actual poster credits -- something I have never seen anywhere before this. What research the book must have taken! Awesome and essential, as I guess is to be expected from author Rebello, who also did the first-rate Alfred Hitchcock and the Making of `Psycho.' Only quibble: this book cries for a follow-up, so when will the authors get around to the sequel?

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars spectacular book well worth having, May 18, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Reel Art: Great Posters from the Golden Age of the Silver Screen (Tiny Folio) (Paperback)

This is a must have book, even if you aren't "into movies". It is a sheer visual delight and a worthy addition to any library. Those with an interest in the graphic arts should definately acquire it. Arranged in a thoughtful manner, the glorious artwork is accompanied by intelligent text that is never dry and always informative.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Superbly written, sumptuous presentation, November 13, 2002

By A Customer

This review is from: Reel Art: Great Posters from the Golden Age of the Silver Screen (Hardcover)

...This is a groundbreaking book, the first (and only one since!) that truly unearths the story of how movie posters were created, who drew them, why each studio had a certain 'look' to their posters and what impact they had on the popular culture. The text is wise, witty, thoroughly enjoyable while it imparts vast amounts of fresh and fascinating information. And as for the images, they are magnificently chosen and reproduced, each one of them accompanied by intriguing and smart observations on the films themselves, their making and their role in Hollywood history. This is an ambitious undertaking, yet it's an ideal book to get lost in during a lazy weekend. Hard to put down, beautifully done and crying out for a sequel. A classic!